
Oo 
log system in vogue since the Garden was established. The new 
system has numerous advantages over the old, not the least of 
which is the greater facility for getting the plantations well 
labeled. 
Ecological Section —Dr. O. E. White, curator of plant breed- 
ing, was given charge of this section in 1918, and over 200 new 
labels were made and a large number of new plants added to 
illustrate the various relations of plants to factors of environ- 
ment. The development of such an exhibit to a point of maxi- 
mum beauty and instructiveness is much hampered by lack of 
expert gardening assistance. 
Vandalism—The destruction by children and adults of some 
500 Trilliums, newly planted, to which attention is called in the 
report of the curator of plants, is only one of the too numerous 
‘instances of vandalism, involving the rock garden, iris collec- 
tion, Japanese garden, and the labels generally. This vandalism 
is not only disheartening, but is expensive, and greatly restricts 
and retards the development of the plantations as an educational 
exhibit. ‘The only remedy is: first, a new fence that cannot be 
‘climbed; second, provision of a larger number of gardeners and 
guards, so that each man can be held responsible for both the 
upkeep of a definite area, and its protection during the hours 
when the Garden is open to the public. This plan was recom- 
mended more in detail in my preceding annual report. 
Statistics—A total of 638 living plants were added to the col- 
lections, as against 651 last year, and 22 were distributed in ex- 
change, as against 422 the year before. Seven hundred and 
twenty-six seed packets were received from other botanic gar- 
dens, and 1,980 sent in exchange. For 1917 the corresponding 
figures were 401 and 470. 


Conservatories 

The closing of the conservatories to the public throughout the 
year as a result, directly and indirectly, of the shortage of coal 
has already been noted (p. 26). It is anticipated that we shall 
be able to reopen them early in 1919. 
Already our conservatory plants, both in number and in stat- 
ure, have begun to outgrow the present range of houses, and 

